Warsong: Primordial Conflict

by Jumping Jack

Chapter 25: The Looming Shadow

Throughout the night, strange occurrences began happening throughout Canterlot City. Police sirens blared loudly as they barreled after a speeding vehicle. Inside the police vehicle, the radio was garbling words to the officer behind the wheel. The officer picked up the radio and spoke into it:

“Roger that. Heading westbound down Palamino Bay.” The officer spoke. From the speeding vehicle being chased, three bandits dressed in black attire and purple bandannas shifted through a bag full of jewelry. The one behind the wheel was constantly looking through the mirrors, doing their best to swerve in and out of traffic. They had nearly side swiped another vehicle before making a sharp turn down a road, speeding downhill.

“Can’t this thing go any faster…?” The driver hissed. They glanced back, seeing their partners chuckle at the riches they had stole. “Can’t you idiots do something to throw them off?! Anymore swerving and it’s going to be you lot flying out the window!” One of the bandits scowled.

“Shut it! Just keep your eye on the road. We’re going to be big once the boss sees the jewelry we scored!” They chuckled.

“Yeah, but don’t you think it’s weird that were paid to steal common gems?” Another asked. The last one smacked the chest of the other.

“The hell you talking about? We didn’t get paid to ask questions. Now shut it and help me with this!” They spoke, holding up a bucket of feathers. The other bandit looked questioningly at the bucket before the other one grabbed a bucket of black tar. The windows were rolled down and the two poked their heads out on each side of the vehicle.

“The Slap Happy surprise!” The bandit with the tar bucket laughed as they tossed the bucket out and splattered two officer vehicles that got close. The vehicles swerved, the wipers trying to wipe away the substance. Yet, the other one followed it up by tossing the feathers out, the feathers sticking to the tar and causing the officers to swerve wildly and crash into other pursuing officers. One vehicle however swerved perfectly through the chaos, gaining speed. The bandits balked and ducked back in.

“Book it! It’s that hero cop!” One barked. The driver grit their teeth.

“Of all the times for her to be active!!” They growled before jerking the wheel quickly and barreling through oncoming traffic. The horns blared from the citizens swerving out of the way. The officer vehicle however was matching pace on the other side of the road. The bandits were starting to sweat. Yet, from the pursuing vehicle, a female officer smirked confidently as she shifted gears and broke away, leaving the bandits confused as to why.

It wasn’t until the driver looked back on the road did they now know. The vehicle barreled out of the other road, pitting the vehicle and causing the escaping vehicle to spin out of control. The bandits yelled as they broke through a chain link fence and barreled down a hill into a under canal that was dry this time of year. They sped down the area, their hearts pounding in their chest. They began to laugh a little as they seemed to have gotten away. That was until the driver looked in the rear view and their jaw dropped.

The officer vehicle barreled through the chain link fence and raced down the hill before popping into the canal and continuing pursuit. The other bandits freaked out.

“How stubborn is that woman?!” One of the bandits asked. The driver glanced back ahead before their eyes widened.

“What the f-!”

The pursuing officer gasped and pressed hard on the brakes. A shadowy haze enveloped the area and the criminal’s vehicle vanished into the darkness. As quickly as the haze happened, it was gone. The officer came to a stop and stepped out of her vehicle, flashlight waving around the area.

Nothing.

In another part of the city, a figure in a trench coat and hat walked down a darkened hallway. His eyes and face covered by the shadows. He readied his trusty revolver and pressed his back against a wall, bracing himself to break into the room and arrest the mark he’s been chasing for months. Taking a deep breath, he announced himself as a detective before kicking open the door and aiming his revolver. Waving it around the room, the detective narrowed his eyes under the shadows.

Seeing as no one was here, he lowered his piece and stepped carefully towards a desk. Through the small lamp light he spied a ledger. Taking a quick look through, he came across a vital piece of evidence to would make his mark face severe jail time. That was until he heard the sound of struggle and a cry for help from the other room. The detective readied his piece and approached the door, hearing a strange giggle coming from the other side. He then kicked open the door to the bathroom and aimed, only to look shocked to see the legs of his mark kick wildly before being sucked into a black void in the wall.

The void vanished in a black haze, leaving a message in black liquid that was hissing with steam.

Be my friend?

In another part of town, an underground club that had pop music playing and people dancing and enjoying a good time rocked the foundation. Over by the door, a muscular bouncer waited. He turned when he heard the door knock. He peeked through the slit window. Seeing as no one was outside, he closed the window and turned back to guarding the door. There was another knock and the bouncer made a small frustrative groan. Opening up the window again and this time looking around, he spied some colorful balloons.

He arched a brow before opening the door a little, stopping to see a small figure in a winter jacket shivering. The face was hidden under a hood.

“S-so cold… can I please come in?” The childish voice asked. The bouncer looked back to his post before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

“You’re a little young to be alone, little kid. Where are your parents?” He asked. The figure sniffled.

“Why won’t you let me in? I’m so… cold…” the child voice spoke. The bouncer crossed his arms.

“This club is for eighteen or older. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in.” He said. He then did a double take and his jaw dropped. Odd. There is always a line waiting to get into the club. He doesn’t remember chasing off guests. At least not the over the age ones. In fact, where was the other bouncer? He’s supposed to be out here. The bouncer’s eyes widened when he felt something hot and sharp in his stomach. He looked down and saw the child figure pressing up against him for warmth.

The figure then raised their head and he was frozen with terror. Beady yellow eyes stared up at him and a strange, jagged maw moved slightly as the voice spoke.

“You should have let me in. We could have been best friends.” The child voice giggled. A dark haze rose up behind the figure and the bouncer couldn’t believe his eyes. The screams of the damned could be heard. Not only that, but his entire skin also went pale when he heard the outside bouncer’s voice call for help from inside the void. A black, sticky tar like substance creeped up the bouncer's body, causing him to shake violently as the child like figure pulled back and giggled.

“Now we can play together! Mistress will be so thrilled to have a new friend!” The child like voice gleefully spoke. The bouncer had transformed into a being of slender disproportions, beady yellow eyes looking down at the figure. The creature then turned and opened the door, making a courteous bow to the figure. The child like shadowy being skipped happily inside the building with the dark haze creeping out onto the dance floor. The slender like creature slipped inside and closed the door, the haze turning the room from a bright and colorful fun vibe into a nightmare of a time.

In another part of the city, a group of gangers were just chilling around some old furniture, loud rock music blaring. They were not dressed eccentrically at all. But they wore a vest that signified their belonging to a gang called Gates of Cerberus. They were chatting with several others that were hanging around that were all doing their individual thing. It wasn't until one of the gangers opened a fridge that held their drinks did things went from chill to terrifying. Dark tendrils lashed out of the fridge and ensnared the ganger, causing them to panic yell and alerting the others. When they turned to see what was going on, they saw their fellow ganger's legs kicking wildly as they were pulled into the fridge.

A dark haze enveloped the area as the gangers readied themselves with whatever they could find. However, the furniture began to spring to life, developing beady yellow eyes and horrifying amalgamations of sticky tar and shadows. The fridge opened the freezer head, the yellow beady eyes looking around before it stood up, creating limbs for itself out of the littered stuff around the place. The gangers did their best to fend off the sudden appearance of these creatures, but as quickly as they appeared, the gangers vanished, being pulled into the dark haze.

High up above the city hall, a shadowy cloaked figure sat over the edge with her legs kicking casually with a small tune being hummed. The figure pulled down her hood, taking in the fresh air. Pink skin and blue bedridden curly hair and white freckles dotting the pleased expression on the girl's face. When she opened her eyes, dark purple eyes swirled with a dark haze.

"Isn't this just grand, Tenebres? A whole new realm for us to play in!" She gleefully smiled. From inside the mind of the child, the dark alicorn grinned as she sat upon a sharp and dark throne.

And it seems our friend group has grown exponentially! With all these friends to play with, nothing can stop me from claiming what should have been mine! Tenebres grinned. She then motioned with a hoof. And my vessel gets to have all the friends she wants! A win-win! The girl giggled.

"You and I together, partner!" She exclaimed happily. Both of them then gasped and the girl stood up, sensing something was amiss. Tenebres, however, began to grow angrier.

Of all the rotten luck... why is she here of all places!? How did she even get here!? Tenebres yelled in frustration and stamped her hoof. No, no, no, no! This will not happen! I've waited far too long to have my own realm! My sister will not take it from me! The girl bit her lip in worry.

"Wh-what do we do, Tenebres?" She asked. Tenebres sighed and rubbed her muzzle. She then blinked at an idea and a grin creeped along her muzzle.

We continue to gain friends. Din lost to us before but I don't doubt she managed to gain something from her failure. So why not fight fire with fire? This world has plenty of magic in store! All we need to do is find it and harness it for our own! Then when she comes to try and drag me back, she'll be sorely overwhelmed! The girl grinned and looked over the city, the wind blowing her cloak and hair dramatically.

"That sounds like fun! Where do we begin??" She asked. Tenebres giggled eerily.

We bide our time. The magic will show up eventually. Let's just focus on making friends for now. Who knows? Perhaps our friends can even tell us where the magic is hidden. Tenebres began to laugh, rising in tone while the girl excitedly shook her arms before jumping with joy and laughing with her. The night grew still from the occurrences then, leaving plenty confused and afraid. Canterlot City, as blissful and ignorant as can be, could not see the ever-looming shadow bearing down upon it.

---

Morning had risen and I felt awful. Sleeping on a bed of books does not sit well with whatever my body calls bones. And despite having slept early, I spent most of my time awake in my mind helping Din untangle the mess. All in all, we managed to untangle a good amount of it and I could feel our power flowing back through me, although it was still faint. I yawned tiredly, doing some stretching before throwing my hood back over my head. The dark clouds were gone and I could see the sunrise making the sky beautiful.

'Alright. Time for a little more exploration.' I thought. Din, however, chimed in.

Vessel. The events from yesterday has me bothered. Tenebres is running amok in this realm, no doubt wanting to claim it as her own. We shouldn't waste time and hunt her down. She said with an annoyed growl. I sighed.

'I'm all for that, Din. But we have no way of getting back yet. When we find her, it's going to end in a conflict that will put this whole realm in danger. I hate to say it, but we need to find a way to get a method to go back home before dragging Tenebres down with us. I'm going to take a look around the school. This world's Flitter showed me the pic of that creature we need to find so we should start here.' I replied to her as I made my way towards the balcony of the library. 'Not only that, weren't we also going to try and leverage the magic of this world against Ouroboros? Seeing this world's Elements of Harmony in action showed me that leaving those girls unattended could be potentially worse for the realm if Tenebres manages to find out they harness it.' Din hummed, shifting in my head.

Then... why not do that pathetic thing mortals tend to do. Make friends? Yes, make friends with those girls. She said a little hesitantly. I smiled as I descended the steps to the main library floor.

'C'mon, Din. No need to be shy. If they are anything like our world's heroes, then they'll be a bit understanding.' I said. Din scoffed.

Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I must untangle a massive knot here. Oh... She winced and I arched a brow. I can't tell where it starts... dammit. I cannot wait until we can get out of here... I giggled to myself before freezing as I noticed someone behind a desk. I looked and saw to my recognition shock, Ms. Cheerlie, who also returned my surprised look.

"Oh my! I didn't hear anyone come in! Wait a minute..." She narrowed her expression suspiciously at me. "I made a full run through last night. How did you get in here?" I rubbed the back of my hooded head, beginning to sweat as I tried to come up with an excuse.

"S-sorry, Cheerlie. I uhh... well... I..." I began. Ms. Cheerlie arched an unamused brow. I blinked. "Studying is magic, as they always say!" I said before zipping towards the door and running out of the library. Having ensured I was a good distance away from the library, I sighed in relief before looking around. The hallways were partially empty save for the early bird students. I couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia for the early mornings I had in CSGU. I'm not sure what time this school starts, but at least it gave me time to just wander around. I found the way to the gymnasium, a computer room, the music room and the cafeteria. Taking a bit of a detour out the school and exploring the outside, I spied a field that was quite bigger than I thought. Bleachers sat over what looked to be a buckball court. Or what this world would consider buckball. After having explored most of the school in and out, I couldn't help but think back to the garden. Maybe I should have helped. If I'm to make friends with those girls, I need to show them my Ponyville values.

Nodding to myself, I made my way back to the garden. When I arrived, my jaw dropped. It was like the whole place was brand new! A much more intricate and pleasing looking fountain laid dormant in the center of the garden, freshly painted fences and built flower beds and garden patches dotted the areas, a dirt pathing that made the garden feel like a park. On top of that, there was also a cozy looking garden shed not too far off with all the tools needed for a garden. Taking a closer look at the garden patches, it seemed that seeds were freshly planted here. I scratched my hooded head with a finger.

'Perhaps those seven exhibit Ponyville values more than I expected.' I thought.

"Quiet Fire?" A voice asked. I looked over my shoulder and saw Wallflower Blush walking into the garden, looking around in awe. "Did... did you do all this?" I shook my head.

"Wish I could say I did. Those seven must have spent all night doing this." I said with a small smile as I looked around. Wallflower Blush walked over to the fountain head and knelt down, brushing her hand softly over the freshly planted soil. I peeked out from under my hood to see her smile and... tears flow down her cheek. She sniffled and wiped her face. "Those seven must be pretty cool to go out of their way to do something like this." I spoke, hoping to lead into a conversation for info. Wallflower stood up and nodded, turning to me with her arms behind her back in a bashful manner.

"Yeah. They really are something. Especially Sunset Shimmer." She said with her eyes at the ground. I crossed my arms and tilted my head. "Well... it's not like its' entirely a secret. Only a select few know about it. Last year I made a... horrible decision. One that nearly caused the destruction of their friendships. If it wasn't for Sunset Shimmer sacrificing herself like she did, then there wouldn't have been... well... this." She motioned to the garden. "I promised to myself then that I wouldn't do something so heinous anymore. And now, I try to make every interaction count. Such as putting out a call for help on our garden. Flash was also kind enough to volunteer even though he isn't affiliated with the gardening club."

"Sunset Shimmer sounds like a nice girl." I replied with a small smile. Wallflower Blush twirled her hair nervously.

"Well... not exactly. I mean, she is now. But she wasn't when she first started out." She replied. She then began to explain to me how Sunset Shimmer was the bad girl of the school. Always throwing her popularity into manipulating the students and staff and even sabotaging friendships. Then, as if from nowhere, Princess Twilight Sparkle showed up and challenged Sunset for the crown she stole. That event led to the magic being released into the world. Wallflower explained that the magic is pretty unpredictable. It happened during a Battle of the Bands where three sirens were about to unleash their dark magic, only for Twilight Sparkle and friends to stop them. I couldn't help but smile, but also come to a realization my world's Twilight Sparkle knows about this place and that she does visit occasionally. When she explained what happened at the Friendship Games, my attention perked up when she said that this world's Twilight Sparkle tried to destroy this realm to get to Equestria. Wallflower sighed as she finished explaining the events.

"Ever since then, the magic has been feeling a bit rampant. I... also can't help but feel I contributed to it when I found the Memory Stone and tried to erase everyone's memories." She said. She looked at me, bracing herself. "Please don't be weirded out by me trying to erase memories. I... I wasn't in the best state at that time." I smiled and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"If there is one thing I know, everyone has second chances. If Princess Twilight gave Sunset Shimmer a second chance and those seven gave you a second chance, then there is no harm no foul. Believe me, I'm not a saint myself. But I am trying my best. Because at the end of the day, you can only be your best self." I replied. Wallflower rubbed the back of her neck before smiling softly.

"That's... actually some good wisdom there." She said. I gave her a playful punch on the arm, causing her to hiss a bit in pain and rub her arm.

"Don't get used to it. I'm actually quite dumb and do a lot of things that most people shouldn't." I said. Wallflower giggled. "So, do you know when they will show up to school?" I asked. Wallflower shrugged.

"I'm not sure. We can go to the cafeteria and see if they show up?" She asked. I blinked and rubbed my stomach. I then smiled and began to walk with her back to the school.

"Yeah, I could go for a bite." I said. As we walked back to the school, I noticed more students beginning to show up. Some were even pulling up in auto wagons and parking in the lot. There were plenty of faces I recognized being from Ponyville mainly. Wallflower and I waved to Derpy as she pulled up with Bulk Biceps in an auto wagon. The more I chatted with Wallflower, the more I began to enjoy her company. Despite being a bit of a recluse at school, she did seem to make some friends by herself. We began to talk about our interests and some funny things that happened to us in our lives. I managed to make a compelling story about my origins and any slip ups I made were joked about in a friendly way. When we arrived to the cafeteria, I sniffed the air and perked up.

"Are those... hotcakes??" I asked, feeling my mouth drool. Wallflower Blush arched a brow.

"You mean... pancakes?" She asked. I made my way over to the line and looked at the display of food. Everything looked surprisingly delicious. Wallflower handed me a tray and I looked to Granny Smith behind the counter.

"Can I have four hotcakes please?" I asked her. Granny Smith smiled kindly and nodded before taking a spatula and giving me some disappointingly small looking hotcakes. I frowned slightly. "Aren't hotcakes usually bigger?" Granny Smith arched a brow.

"I don't know what ya' mean, girlie. 'Ah have to make enough ta' feed tha' whole school, ya' know." She said with a stern wave of the spatula. I slumped and looked over to Wallflower Blush who was stuffing her tray with greens and what looked to be oatmeal. I looked back to Granny Smith, who was waiting patiently with me. "Are ya' goin' ta' have anythin' else?" She asked. I gave a nervous smile and pointed at an apple. She used some tongs to grab the apple and place it on my tray. I then walked with Wallflower Blush over to a table. I sat opposite from her as she began to eat her food. I poked sadly at the hotcakes.

"Everything okay?" Wallflower asked. I sighed.

"Just missing home a little. The hotcakes there are bigger than... whatever this is." I replied. Wallflower rubbed her chin curiously.

"What was it like?" She asked. I blinked and darted my eyes in thought. Even though the existence of my home realm is known to people here, it's completely different with me. I'm an Element of Power that isn't supposed to meddle in this world. Unable to think of anything properly, I decide to think about Hoofington. I explained to her my foalhood (childhood as it is called in this world as I was reminded) back then. When I finished telling her my life story, Wallflower blinked.

"Wait, you went to college? But then... what are you doing back here in Canterlot High?" She asked. I began to sweat a little.

"Oh, uh... I just... wanted to relive highschool life. Principle Celestia was kind enough to let me apply for the year as an aid." I lied, hoping to play it off. Wallflower raised a suspicious brow.

"I've never heard of a college student wanting to relive high school life. Not only that, but you do also play off as a high school student surprisingly well." She said. I rubbed the back of my head.

"Thanks, I guess?" I said. I then looked past her and my eyes perked up, seeing the door open and Sunset Shimmer and the rest of the girls walk in, chatting away. Wallflower blinked and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, there they are." She said with a small smile. I then noticed her hesitating. I smirked and stood up, patting her shoulder.

"C'mon. We should thank them for the work they did. It's only the neighborly thing to do." I winked. Wallflower rubbed her arm nervously before smiling and nodding to me. She stood up and we walked over to the group. Sunset noticed us approach and closed a journal she was writing in.

"Oh, hey guys. What's up?" Sunset said. I gave a small nudge to Wallflower. She stepped forward, looking quite nervous.

"Err... I heard from Quiet Fire what you did. I... thank you so much." She said. Applejack tipped her hat.

"Aw, shucks. It's the least we can do after what happened." She said.

"Though, I can't explain it still." Twilight spoke up. "The readings were just all over the place. I've adjusted every variable to it and it's still going off." She then pulled out the device from earlier and held it up. The arrow in the glass was going crazy. Sunset rubbed her chin.

"If it really is dark Equestrian magic, where did it come from?" She asked. The device suddenly screeched and the arrow steadied itself in the red. I heard Din cackling and a tingling sensation flow through me. Twilight adjusted her glasses and studied the device, waving it around. The arrow went all over the place when she did but then steadied when she turned back to us.

"I'm guessing that creature caused all this dark magic floating around." Rainbow Dash stated with a cross of her arms. Twilight sighed.

"I just don't understand. Nothing is wrong with it." she said, patting the side of the device. Sunset then walked over to me.

"Do you have any clue what that creature could be? You did seem like you knew what you were doing." She said. I started to sweat again.

"What? Oh, no! Like I said I got... lucky." I replied.

"Darling, those acrobatics you did wasn't just luck." Rarity spoke and eyeing me. "Not only that, but your attire is also utterly filthy! It's almost as if you had gone through more fights than you play off." Sunset narrowed her look a little. She then smiled and held out a hand to me.

"Earlier we didn't get to greet each other properly. I'm Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you Quiet Fire." She said. I rubbed the back of my head and took her hand, shaking it.

"Uhh... likewise." I said. All of sudden the world faded around Sunset and I. Sunset gasped as we found ourselves amongst the field of fiery grass. A shocked realization dawned on me as I stared at her. Sunset looked around in confusion. Suddenly, the fiery grass began to rise up as actual fire this time, surrounding us. The blue flowers dotting the field bloomed brightly and mixed into the ever-growing fire. Sunset gasped in horror and looked past me. I didn't even need to turn to know what she saw. From the rising fire, Din cackled evilly, escalating loudly as the fire rose.

Ahahahahaha! My fire! My precious fire returns! Now I can burn this realm the shadows seek to claim! Din marveled with an evil wide-eyed grin to the darkened sky. She then looked down at us and her look changed to surprise, but the grin stayed. Oh? Well then... the fire in you is quite an interesting sight. Din narrowed her eyes and a scowl formed. However, it is very rude to try and rummage through personal memories of mine. Begone with you! Din unfurled her wings and flapped them once, spreading the fire around us. The world faded back in and Sunset quickly pulled her hand away from me. I was in shock while Sunset looked at me in horror.

"Err... Sunset? Are you alright?" Applejack asked. Their eyes fell onto me, including Wallflower's. A loud sound rang throughout the room and without a single word, I pushed past everyone and jogged out of the cafeteria. I ended up jogging out of the school and down the sidewalk away from the building. I ran for a while before coming to a stop and panting for breath. When I finally caught my breath, I continued walking, pulling down my hood further and keeping my head down.

'What the hell was all that, Din!?' I asked her angrily. Din looked up from her current string she was untangling boredly.

You should really be asking yourself why that girl was able to invade my domain. But it's no surprise. She holds the phoenix's fire in her after all. She grinned. Such a beautiful fire it is indeed. I shook my head and put a hand over my eye.

'Then why did you come off as an evil being!?' I stated. Din scoffed.

One would be elated when their precious beloved returns to them. You should understand since being in the moment is a mortal thing. She replied. I sighed.

'You do realize that we've been compromised now?? That's going to make us getting home even harder! Not only that, but we were also right there with the very people that have any form of idea how to get back home!' I groaned. Din snorted.

I'll admit. Both of us did not expect that mortal to have a special ability about her. Even though they harness the Elements of Harmony, that one has something more to her. It makes the thought of harnessing this world's magic all the more exciting. Din grinned. That fire must be with me! And I will have it! I glared angrily.

'Any chance of it is gone now, so tough luck!' I sighed. 'Back to square one.' I felt my stomach growl. 'Maybe find a waffle house or something. I can't think on an empty stomach.'

---

Equestrai Girl's POV

Sunset Shimmer remained froze in shock. Rainbow Dash waved a hand in front of her.

"Helloooo? Anyone home?" She asked. Twilight pat Sunset's back.

"Sunset? Are you okay?" She asked. Sunset finally snapped out of her stupor and looked around.

"Wha? Where did she go??" Sunset asked as she looked around.

"Err... she ran out of the cafeteria." Wallflower Blush responded.

"You look pale, sugar cube. Perhaps you need ta' go to the nurses?" She asked. Sunset sighed and rubbed her head.

"I-I'm fine, AJ." Sunset replied. She then studied her hand. "I'll explain what I saw later in the music room. I just need a moment to comprehend what I just saw." Wallflower Blush rubbed her arm with a wince.

"What... did you see?" She asked. Sunset gave an apologetic look to her.

"I'm... sorry Wallflower. If you can meet us in the music room after lunch, I'll explain everything. I promise." Sunset said. Wallflower didn't look at all happy with the answer. And how can they blame her? She made a new friend and that friend may be a dark and twisted entity. At least, that's what Sunset was thinking. But why, she would ask herself. Sunset Shimmer and the others bid farewell to each other as they were heading to their classes. Sunset sighed as she walked with Twilight towards their trigonometry class. Twilight was finding it hard to get a word out before she finally spoke.

"Sunset, are you sure you are okay? What did you see in Quiet Fire?" She asked worriedly. Sunset hugged the journal in her arms and sighed.

"I'm not sure what I saw. I think it's better if I explain it with everyone present." Sunset replied. Twilight smiled softly.

"I understand. Try not to let it get to you so much. I hear that this test is going to be a bit of a doozy." Twilight smiled before adjusting her glassed proudly. "Not that I am sweating on it or anything." Sunset gave a small chuckle and nodded.

"Thanks, Twilight." The girls entered the room of their class and took their seats. The students chatted with each other while they waited for Ms. Cheerlie to enter the room. Twilight looked over her book to get some last-minute studying in while Sunset opened up the journal in front of her. Clicking on the pen, she flipped through the pages. She came to a stop at one of the pages and sighed sadly. She knew that Twilight does take a bit to message her back, but lately, Sunset hasn't been getting any responses at all. She had explained what had been going on for the past two weeks and was looking for answers to see how they can go about it. Unfortunately, it was only silence. Sunset bit her lip nervously and began to jot down in her journal.

'Dear Princess Twilight. I hope my messages are reaching you. I understand that you are quite busy lately. It'd be nice to just hear how you are doing.' Sunset paused and tapped her chin with the pen in thought before continuing to write. 'You won't believe what happened to me today. I met this girl named Quiet Fire and she helped us defeat the monster I mentioned last night. Today, I found her hanging out with Wallflower Blush in the cafeteria and I had a feeling something was off with her. I just.' She paused again. 'I could really use your advice. Something tells me that Equestrian magic is starting to get powerful and I'm not sure how I can stop it from getting out of control. Your faithful student, Sunset Shimmer.' Sunset closed the journal and put it away in her bag as the door opened to the classroom. Twilight and Sunset's brows raised as a different teacher walked in carrying a book bag. He looked rather disgruntled. Black frazzled hair, an unkempt white goatee and brows with glasses covering bloodshot yellow eyes with red pupils. He wore a multicolored pinstripe suite that was yellow and thin on one sleeve, loose with a patch and yellow on the other sleeve and brown as the torso. A red and white stripe tie hung loosely around his neck. He also wore multicolored slacks with one leg being green with a white patch at the bottom and the other tan with a brown patch at the bottom. He put the book bag on the table and flourished his hands.

"How do you do, fellow student! I must ask that you all take your seats so we can begin today's lessons." The man said with a smile. The students murmured to each other until one rose their hand.

"Err... where's Ms. Cheerilie?" The student asked. The man sat on the desk and gestured.

"I'm afraid Ms. Cheerilie had an important matter that came up. A relative of her's not showing up back home last night I've heard. You know how family matters are." He said. He then snapped his finger and a piece of chalk appeared in his hold. "Now then, you can all call me Professor Discord. I will be your substitute teacher while Ms. Cheerlie is out." He said as he wrote on the black board, spelling out his name. Sunset made a concerned expression. She remembers Princess Twilight mentioning a character named Discord that tends to cause trouble when he wants. Her eyes then narrowed suspiciously at the man.

'It could just be a coincidence that this Discord and that Discord aren't the same. I shouldn't worry too much.' Sunset thought. Discord had a glint in his eyes as he then turned and reached for a book, opening it.

"Now then, who can explain to me the concept of the variable X and Y in contrast to Z?" He asked as he read over the book. Twilight rose her hand.

"Err... Professor Discord? Aren't we supposed to be doing a test?" Twilight asked. Discord waved the chalk in his hand and nodded.

"Yes, yes. We'll get to that. But I want to hear everyone's thoughts on the question I asked." He replied. The students exchanged glances with each other, but it was Twilight that spoke, adjusting her glasses.

"X and Y are just placement variables that equal to Z. It's just basic math." She said. Discord sighed and tossed the book aside.

"That's the boring explanation. Why not giving it a little more pizazz!" Discord said. Twilight arched a brow.

"I don't quite follow." She replied. Discord walked around the class with his arms behind his back.

"Let's say that X is light and Y is dark. What would light and dark equal too?" He asked. No one spoke. "Anyone?" He then nudged Twilight. "C'mon, you know the answer! It's as easy as basic math." He grinned. Twilight rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"Balance?" She asked. Discord nodded.

"The brightest mind even in this generation! But tell me. What does balance as X have in comparison to, and I'm just throwing this out there, stability to Y? What would those two have with Z?" He asked, walking back to the desk. "It'll be on your test, Ms. Sparkle. Unless anyone else have the answer. How about you, Ms. Shimmer." Sunset Shimmer raised a brow in confusion.

"Err... I'm not sure." She replied. Discord turned to the board and began to write on it. However, everyone only blinked once and the board was completely filled out with an equation. Twilight adjusted her glasses again and squinted.

"Hold on... this is the formula for equivalent exchange. What does alchemy have to do with trigonometry?" She asked. Discord tossed the chalk aside and grinned, turning to the students.

"An excellent question, Ms. Sparkle! One that alchemy does not matter in the long run! It's the symbolism behind it all." He then took a pointer stick and tapped the board. The students were confused as the formula seemed to move with the tip of the pointer stick. Eventually, Discord swirled the letters and numbers, turning the formula into the Ouroboros symbol. Sunset Shimmer arched a brow, questioning how Discord was able to turn the formula into the symbol. He tapped the board. "Now, referring to my previous question, what does balance have in comparison to stability?" He eyed the students, grinning rather smugly. No one answered. "Simple. It equals to harmony. Just like light and dark, you cannot have harmony without balance and stability. Exchanging light and dark to create the basic attraction of balance is all well and done, but without stability, the formula doesn't work. Now, not only does balance have light and dark, but there are also other variables that make up balance. Let's call them sub variables." Discord then picked up the eraser and wiped away the symbol before writing down on the board.

The students paid attention this time, hoping to catch the estranged professor in the act of whatever finesse he was pulling. Discord branched seven lines to seven symbols surrounding a circle. With a few more touchups, he took different colored chalk and connected the lines to the symbols, creating a strange diagram of multicolored lines in the circle. Twilight had to rub her eyes to ensure she wasn't seeing things. Somehow, Professor Discord drew the lines so perfectly that not only did they connect to one another, they were patterned into an illusion, creating a rainbow-like effect that the students were unable to comprehend as well as they thought. Discord pulled away and tossed the chalk aside with a satisfied look before turning to the class.

"Who can tell me what each symbol signifies?" He asked, eyeing the class. The students were still trying to comprehend the illusion on the chalk board. Twilight frowned and stood up.

"Professor. No disrespect but we are supposed to be learning trigonometry. Not whatever this is." She said. Discord looked boredly but reached into the book bag and withdrew a stack of papers and a teacher book.

"Yes, yes. Your 'test'." He then smiled and leaned over, sticking the stack of papers into a paper shredder. Twilight looked horrified.

"Noooo, what are you doing!?" She panicked. Discord smiled before shredding the teacher book next, having to use a bit of force to do so. With that done, Professor Discord returned to face the class.

"Come now, Ms. Sparkle. This is far more important than some silly formulaic test that has no educational substance in life. You already know what a circle, square and a triangle is. You already know that messing with one angle changes the posture. You can measure the circle's circumference as much as you like. But it doesn't matter how big it is. It's the matter of how perfect you can make it. In short. Balance plus stability equals harmony." He tapped the desk. "It'll be on the test, Ms. Sparkle. Now, since you are already inclined, care to tell me what each symbol signifies?"

---

"That was really bizarre." Sunset Shimmer said to Twilight as they were walking down the hall. The first four periods went by quickly after the Professor Discord class. Twilight could not get over the fact that Discord shredded their tests.

"How can he just shred up Ms. Cheerilie's work like that?? Aren't substitute teachers supposed to just sit there and just let us study?" She exclaimed, gritting her teeth. Sunset smiled.

"Relax, Twi. I'm sure Professor Discord... err... well, I'm honestly not sure why he did it and what lesson he was trying to give us." Sunset replied, trying to think of what the class meant. Twilight sighed as they stepped into the music room.

"I have half a mind to complain to Principal Celestia about it." She replied.

"Complain about what, darling?" A voice asked. The two girls looked to see Rarity sitting on the grand piano and stitching at a red fabric. Sunset spoke for Twilight.

"Had a substitute teacher fill in for Ms. Cheerilie. He was rather... eccentric." Sunset replied, trying not to come off as off putting. Twilight walked over to sit on one of the steps and pulled out a book.

"You're telling me. The guy was crazy! He shredded an entire trigonometry book! A whole book! I feel attacked!" Twilight exclaimed. Rarity nodded, a little focused on the fabric in her hands.

"Mmm, that's nice darling." She replied. Sunset smirked at her next words.

"Not only that, he wore this really strange suite. Had a lot of clashing colors." She said. Rarity finally perked up and looked shocked.

"Oh my. Was it paisley? Striped? Plaid?" She gasped in horror. "Polka dots...?" She bit her lip in worry. Sunset chuckled.

"Patched. Though to be honest, I'm not sure what he was going for. He started talking about balance and harmony for some reason." She replied.

"You mean like the perfect harmony of a triple chocolate and caramel walnut glazed hot fudged cupcake!?" The excitable and bubbly voice of Pinkie Pie exclaimed, having zipped into the room and leaned over to the conversation. She displayed the very same dessert up to the girls before eating the whole thing whole and chewing happily, licking her lips after with a blissful smile. "Ahhhh~ So good~" She then reached into her pink curly hair and pulled out a normal cupcake before consuming it and taking a seat next to Twilight. The other girls entered the room, Sunset spying Wallflower hanging back a little.

"Not exactly, Pinkie." Sunset grinned.

"Well, we're all here now. So, Sunset. What did ya' want ta' tell us?" Applejack asked, taking a seat just behind Twilight and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash leaned against the piano with Rarity putting down her fabric to listen. Sunset looked to Wallflower and went over to her, taking her hand and leading her into the room.

"Well, how should I put it?" She glanced to Wallflower, who was waiting patiently for her to continue. "The thing is... when I shook her hand, the whole world around us melted. I was in a field of grass that looked like fire. It also had these strange blue flowers. But that isn't the weird thing I saw." Sunset studied her hands. "The grass became actual fire and from it an... an alicorn appeared out of it." She looked to the others. "I know it sounds crazy, but where I'm from, I only know of three alicorns. Four counting Twilight."

"What's an... alicorn?" Wallflower asked hesitantly. Sunset crossed her arms, remembering back to a time when she read a book about ancient races.

"It's... kind of a complicated thing. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are natural born alicorns. They can live longer than anypony I know. Some would call them immortal. It's one of the reasons they rule Equestria currently." Sunset looked between each girl as she continued. "Twilight mentioned that her and Princess Cadence aren't natural born, but gifted. They don't have the normal life span of a natural alicorn, but they can live longer than normal. But here's the thing. I don't remember there ever being anything about a fire alicorn. Or any other alicorns for that matter. Records don't date back that far." Rarity gasped.

"Are you saying that Quiet Fire might be an ancient alicorn come to our world?" She guessed. Sunset shrugged.

"I don't know. But I do know one thing. The way she handled that creature in the garden. She knew where to strike it and had insane acrobatics. That's someone who has dealt with these kinds of things longer than anyone. Not only that, Flash said that she was holding them off until he got us. She must have been pretty spry to hold it off for so long." Pinkie Pie gasped.

"What if she brought the dark magic into this world!?" She exclaimed. Sunset hummed with a furrowed look.

"A bit jumping the shark there, but I'm not sure. I have to find more clues about it. But we don't even know where she went. She left without a word." She replied.

"P-perhaps the roof?" Wallflower suggested. They looked to her and she blushed. "I-It's where I went when I was... thinking a lot before finding the garden." The girls looked at each other worriedly. Sunset smiled and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon, Wallflower. She's your friend too. If we can just hear her side of the story, we might be able to know what is going on." Sunset said. Wallflower met her eyes.

"D-does this mean I get to come with you?" She asked.

"Duuuuh. You're our friend too ya' know." Rainbow Dash said with a smile and nudging Wallflower as she walked by. "We're Wonder Colts! We're riding the friendship train till the end of the tracks!" The others smiled before standing up and nodding. Wallflower gave a shy smile and nodded.

"O-okay."

---

Quiet Fire's POV

I stood over the side of a bridge in the park, sighing sadly and staring at my reflection. Seeing myself for the first time, I couldn't comprehend how much this world had altered me. I felt so alien in my body now. The fact that we were exposed so easily also shot my mood down. What kind of powers does Sunset have?? Din was acting non-chalant about it as she was too focused on untangling the mess in our magic. I spent the next few hours trying to decide what I should do to find more info about anything. I couldn't think of anything and just decided I needed to clear my head a little. I bounced my leg restlessly, my thoughts racing with ideas.

'Should I just keep wandering around? Who should I ask? If everypony here is parallel in some regard to Equestria, and magic is known in this world, can I be sure that everypony here has any idea what to do about it? I heard Din sigh in annoyance.

Perhaps you should stop worrying less about it and just confront them. The secret is out, but if we can keep it contained to just them, then we needn't worry about meddling with the balance of this world. Din said. I sighed.

"That's the thing, Din. I've been through highschool in Hoofington. Believe me, teens like to talk a lot. Gossip even more. Not only that, but an entirely different school also knows about the magic. It's only a matter of time before we have to try and contain two schools to keep the balance in check." I said. I then heard several sirens blaring loudly and I looked up, seeing several auto wagons drive by hurriedly down a road. I hummed and pushed myself away from the bridge to jog down the sidewalk to see where the auto wagons were going. They turned the corner of a street and continued to speed away out of sight. 'Why so many?' I asked myself. Deciding what I should do next, I started to jog down towards the sounds of sirens. Eventually, I found myself coming across a crowd of onlookers behind a barricade. Several officers standing behind them and watching the crowd as several more were standing outside a building. I adjusted my hood to ensure my face was hidden before pushing through the crowd a little. Getting a better look, I noticed there was some sort of black tar leading into the building. I arched a brow and looked to a male person in a business suit observing. "What's going on?" I asked.

The male person looked at me.

"Not sure. But from what it sounds like, another disappearance." He replied. I tilted my head.

"Disappearance?" I asked. The male person looked confused before taking out his tablet and swiping his thumb before showing me some images accompanied with an article.

"You don't follow the news? Strange disappearances have been occurring all over the city. Every time they investigate, it's always this black tar that is left behind. Not only that, some eerie words too. Some think it's a mass serial kidnapper hell bent on making a poor joke, but the issue is that it's happening almost simultaneously in several locations. Last night, at least seven places were found to have this same black tar all over with the people disappearing." He explained. I remained quiet and looked back at the sight.

Tenebres has a full head start, ey? How annoying. Din spoke. I felt another tingling sensation flow through me after she said that. We should do an investigation of our own, right vessel? Since you're so bored. I nodded. But then, how am I going to get into the building without the police here arresting me? I don't want a repeat of Manehatten. I looked around confused when I started hearing surprised screams.

"What is that thing!?" I heard a female person call out. I saw several onlookers pointing upwards and I followed their look. My eyes widened when I saw something black crawl out onto the building side and begin to scale upwards. It looked like a spider creature. The officers down below were aiming up at the creature and gunfire began to ring out. The people began to scatter. I was pushed back into an alley and frowned.

Lucky for us, I just untangled a set that'll allow us to reach it. Plus, I'm looking to take a break from all of this and need to vent some needed frustration against my brat of a sister. Din grinned maniacally. I nodded and I felt a small warmth flow through me. Din unfurled her wings and I took to the sky, a shroud of fire surrounding me as Din's way of protecting us from getting blindsided if the creature reacts to us. We soared out of the ally and towards the creature as it reached the top of the building. It was about to scurry when Din landed me in front of it and I called my staff to me, twirling it around myself and aiming it at the creature.

"Not so fast, Tenebres. This time, we're on the hunt." I said stoically. The spider like creature jittered before eight pairs of beady yellow eyes met mine. It screeched at me, taking an attacking stance. I readied myself, only for it to spew something sticky at me and caught my hand, sticking me to the roof door. I pulled against it, finding it hard to move. However, Din cackled and my fist caught on fire, breaking the sticky web like substance. Taking the opportunity at the creature's expense, I rushed it, Din enshrouding me in fire once more to break the web substance it tried to spew at me. I tackled the creature with my shoulder and we went sailing off the roof, crashing into another building. The spider like creature screeched and flailed its' legs. But I pulled back and stabbed my staff into it. Din hissed excitably and unleashed a torrent of fire that injured the creature greatly. Yet, it spewed more of the web like substance, sending me sailing backwards into the opposite building's wall. I grit my teeth, seeing the spider like creature catch itself, sliding down the side of the building before limping its' way back up it.

"Oh no you don't!" I growled. Din enshrouded me in fire once more, breaking away the web and rocketing towards the creature. Tackling it again, this time Din directed me upwards, my staff buried underneath the spider. Din laughed maniacally, unleashing another torrent of fire into the creature, the shriek ringing throughout the area. Suddenly, the creature did something that took me by surprise. A hand reached out to me. And not just one hand. Several other hands. My eyes widened in horror as I saw the faces of people in agonizing terror, shouting and screaming at me that it hurts. This gave the creature plenty of time for it to bat me away with one of its' legs. As it fell, it then grew sticky wings out of it and caught itself in the air. Din corrected my mid-air tumbling and we observed the creature swaying in the air, clearly in pain before it turned to tried to fly away. I was about to go after it when Din hummed.

Let's follow it. She grinned evilly. I blinked at this and smiled.

'Huh. Didn't think about that.' I replied. We watched the creature get further and further away, appearing to head away from the city. When we saw it land into a warehouse like area, that's when Din kicked off from the air and we sailed towards it. Landing in an open space of the warehousing field, we spotted the creature limping away into a warehouse. I jogged after it, pressing myself against the wall when we spotted it melting into a vent. My eyes followed an imaginary pathing before setting on a door. I jogged over to it and jiggled the knob. I frowned and took a step back, bracing myself. With a hefty side kick and Din's fire, the door blew off its' hinges and I stepped in. It was a little dark, but with a quick snap of my fingers, a small flame illuminated most of the area around me. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for a warehouse, but progressing out into the open, my eyes fell onto the black sticky substance all over the place.

I looked around, trying to spy any sign of movement. I stepped over to a blob of the black substance hanging against a shipping container and tilted my head. I took my staff and started to jab it, breaking away the carapace like texture. When it broke apart, I stepped back in shock as several people tumbled out of the cocoon. They were covered in the black substance. I knelt down to examine them and upon further observation, they looked no worse for wear, save for the possible stiffness of being encased. I then saw one male person stir and shake away his daze.

"Urgh... what happened?" He asked. I bobbed my hand to let the flame hover in the air while I helped him up. He had a bit of a muscular build. Handsome features, green hair covered by a black beanie, red shirt over a white long sleeve undershirt and some grey long cargo pants and sneakers. He tried to shake off the substance, but it stuck to him like glue. "Well, that's going to be hard to wash off. Who are you?" I wasn't able to respond as I heard the skittering of legs. I spun around and aimed my staff to see the spider like creature take a defensive stance at me. "Oh god, what is that!?" The male person panicked. I then shoved him away and twirled my staff around me, deflecting a spew of the black substance and rushed the creature. It lashed at me and I brought my staff up to catch it. When I did, I grit my teeth and with all my strength, I pushed it off of me and vaulted with my staff, planting a heavy fiery kick into it and the creature splattered against the wall. I readied myself again, keeping my senses alert for anything else.

My eyes narrowed as I focused on the splatter. The telltale sign of defeat for a Tenebres lackey. To my surprise as well, the people that were in the creature were stirring awake as the black substance vanished. I eased my stance and stabbed my staff in the ground, looking around. The boy rushed past me and began to help the people up from the ground as everyone else was coming to. I looked to the floating flame and waved my finger to have it float over to me. When it approached me, I grasped the flame and crushed it in my hand, my fist burning brightly before I tossed up the flame and it exploded like a firework, setting the black substances still around the warehouse on fire. The people freaked out as the flames snaked through out the warehouse. Din cackled, marveling at the flames that burned Tenebres's shadows. When the substances were fully burned away, the remaining cocoons dotting around the warehouse vanished, freeing the trapped people inside of them.

I looked out from under my hood to the boy and smiled with a shrug.

"This is just a bonus." I said suddenly. I didn't feel like explaining to the random people around me as I wanted to explore the other warehouses for any other signs of Tenebres activity. However, the sound of sirens told me that won't be happening any time soon. I sighed in annoyance. It'll be a pain in the flank to explain to the authorities about things. My staff disappeared as I rushed to another door that led out to the main area of the warehouses. As I took off into the air, I heard the boy call out.

"Hey wait! Who are you!?" He called out. I kicked off the air without responding and soared away from the warehouses, looking down to see a lot of police auto wagons roll by on a street underneath me and heading to the warehouses.

Tenebres has a lot to answer for. Din growled.

'We need a better way of keeping ourselves relatively anonymous while handling this.' I replied to her. I then looked down at myself. 'Need to blend in better.' As we soared across the sky, I used Din's eyes to scan the ground area. My eyes fell onto a relatively massive building that looked like a shopping center. Din directed me down to the ground, having landed behind the building in the wooded area behind it. When I emerged from the wooded area, I sighed and made my way around the building and stood in front of the entrance way. An intricately designed bronze sign reading "Canterlot Mall" hung over head. A lot of people were going in and out of it with bags full of stuff they bought. My eyes darted in thought. So many things piling up here. Din and I definitely have our work cut out for us. I couldn't help but worry about the others back in Zebrica. I know they can handle themselves, but I need to be there with them. Din is right. We don't belong here.